Valmiki Ramayana 1.63.4: Bala Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 4
विश्वामित्रस्य तपोविघ्नः, मेनकाप्रसङ्गः, महर्षिपदप्रदानम्
Visvamitra’s Austerity Obstructed; Menaka Episode; Conferment of Maharshi Status
ततः कालेन महता मेनका परमाऽप्सराः ।
पुष्करेषु नरश्रेष्ठ स्नातुं समुपचक्रमे ॥४॥
tataḥ kālena mahatā menakā paramāpsarāḥ |
puṣkareṣu naraśreṣṭha snātuṃ samupacakrame ||4||
काफी टाइम के बाद मेनका पुष्कर में नाहने आई। वो अप्सराओं में सबसे बड़ी थी। ऐ राजन, यह बात सुनो।
"O Foremost of men! after a long lapse of time a chief nymph called Menaka came to bathe at Pushkara.
FAQs
The verse sets the stage for a dharmic test: circumstances arise that challenge an ascetic’s self-mastery, reminding that Dharma is proven under pressure, not merely proclaimed.
Menakā arrives at Puṣkara and begins bathing—an entry that will soon intersect with Viśvāmitra’s austerities.
Indirectly, the coming test of restraint (saṃyama) for the ascetic; Menakā’s role is instrumental within the plot.
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